Two energy companies have been announced as the preferred supplier for the innovative Melbourne Renewable Energy Project (MREP).
Pacific Hydro and Tango Energy have been selected to progress financing and construction arrangements for an 80MW Crowlands Wind Farm near Ararat.
Led by the City of Melbourne, the MREP marks the first time in Australia that a group of local governments, cultural institutions, universities and corporations have combined their purchasing power to support the construction of a new renewable energy facility.
Pacific Hydro Chief Financial Officer, Rob Spurr, said, “As a builder, owner, and operator of renewables in Australia for over twenty-five years, we are immensely proud to have been selected as the energy partner for this project.
“This new approach to power purchasing will help our partners to take control of their costs, reduce their emissions, and directly support our work decarbonising the power system. Initiatives such as the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project will be key in driving new renewable energy generation in Australia.”
Under this project, members will commit to purchasing 88 GWh of electricity per year from the project under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). The purchasing group are now working with Pacific Hydro to finalise contracts which are expected in coming weeks.
The Crowlands Wind Farm will create more than 140 jobs during construction and eight ongoing maintenance jobs.
